Saturday 9th July 1904
The first Buick Model B was driven from Flint to Detroit by Walter L. Marr and Thomas Buick (son of the car’s namesake David D. Buick) to convince Buick Motor Company principal owner James H. Whiting to approve the manufacturing of complete automobiles. It had a 2-cylinder, horizontally opposed engine – the world’s first production OHV (overhead valve) engine – installed lengthwise within the frame, had a planetary transmission, with a cone clutch and two forward speeds and one reverse gear.